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Notes on a Scandal (film)
| screenplay = Patrick Marber | starring = Judi Dench Cate Blanchett Bill Nighy | music = Philip Glass | cinematography = Chris Menges | editing = John Bloom Antonia Van Drimmelen | distributor = Fox Searchlight Pictures | released = | runtime = 91 minutes | country = United Kingdom | language = English | budget = $15 million | gross = $49.8 million }} 'Notes on a Scandal' is a 2006 British psychological thriller-drama film, adapted from the 2003 novel of the same name by Zoë Heller. The screenplay was written by Patrick Marber and the film was directed by Richard Eyre and starred Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett. The soundtrack was composed by Philip Glass. It was nominated for four Academy Awards – Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score. Plot Barbara Covett is a history teacher at a comprehensive school in London. A spinster nearing retirement, her only comfort is her diary. When a new art teacher, Sheba Hart, joins the staff, Barbara is immediately attracted to her. Sheba is married to the much older Richard, and is just re-entering the work force after devoting herself to a special needs son. Barbara later discovers that Sheba is having a sexual affair with a 15-year-old student, Steven Connolly, after seeing Sheba perform oral sex on him through the window. When Barbara confronts her, she recounts all the details of her involvement with the boy, and Sheba asks her not to tell the school administration until after Christmas, as she wants to be with her family. Barbara claims she has no intention of telling, providing Sheba ends the relationship immediately. Sheba tells Steven that the affair is over. However, when she refuses to give in to Barbara's demands on her time, Barbara reveals the secret to a male teacher. He tells her that he is attracted to Sheba and asks her to act as an intermediary. After the affair becomes public, Barbara and Sheba both lose their jobs. The head teacher, Sandy Pabblem, suspects that Barbara knew about the affair and did not notify the authorities, and also learned that a former teacher at the school had taken out a restraining order against Barbara for stalking her and her fiance. Sheba is thrown out of her home by her husband, and moves into Barbara's house. Sheba is unaware that Barbara is the reason she was found out, believing the affair became known because Steven confessed it to his mother. When Sheba finds Barbara's diary and learns it was Barbara who leaked the story of the affair, she confronts Barbara and strikes her in anger. A row ensues, and Sheba runs outside with Barbara's journal to a crowd of reporters and photographers. When she becomes hemmed in by them, Barbara rescues her. Sheba's emotions spent, and she quietly tells Barbara that she had initiated the friendship with her because she liked her and that they could have been friends. She leaves Barbara, placing the journal on the table, and returns to her family home. Richard and Sheba face one another silently for several moments, and then Richard allows her to enter. Sheba is subsequently sentenced to 10 months in prison. Later, Barbara meets another younger woman who is reading a newspaper about the Sheba Hart affair. Barbara says she was acquainted with Sheba, but implies they hardly knew each other. Barbara introduces herself, invites the other woman to a concert, and the pair continue to talk. Cast * Judi Dench as Barbara Covett * Cate Blanchett as Sheba Hart * Bill Nighy as Richard Hart * Andrew Simpson as Steven Connolly * Tom Georgeson as Ted Mawson * Michael Maloney as Sandy Pabblem * Joanna Scanlan as Sue Hodge * Shaun Parkes as Bill Rumer * Emma Williams as Linda * Phil Davis as Brian Bangs * Juno Temple as Polly Hart * Max Lewis as Ben Hart * Anne-Marie Duff as Annabel * Julia McKenzie as Marjorie Filming Filming took place in August and September 2005. The film was mainly shot on location in the Parliament Hill, Gospel Oak and Camden Town areas of northwest London. Reception Critical reaction The film opened to generally positive reviews, with Blanchett and Dench receiving critical acclaim for their performances, and receiving a ''Rotten Tomatoes "Certified Fresh" rating of 87%. The Guardian called the film a "delectable adaptation" with "tremendous acting from Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett, with many blue-chip supporting contributions and a "screenwriting masterclass from Patrick Marber". The Times praised the film, saying: "Notes on a Scandal, is screenwriting at its vicious best... Richard Eyre directs the film like a chamber play. He leans on Philip Glass's ever-present and insistent music like a crutch. But his natural gift for framing scenes is terrifically assured. A potent and evil pleasure." American publications also gave the film acclaim, with the Los Angeles Times describing the film as "Sexy, aspirational and post-politically correct, Notes on a Scandal could turn out to be the Fatal Attraction of the noughties." The Washington Post noted the "dark brilliance" and that it "offers what is possibly the only intelligent account of such a disaster ever constructed, with a point of view that is somewhat gimlet-eyed and offered with absolutely no sentimentality whatsoever." The reviewer also identified the film as a "study in the anthropology of British liberal-left middle-class life." Chicago Sun-Times film critic Richard Roeper heaped praise on the film: "Perhaps the most impressive acting duo in any film of 2006. Dench and Blanchett are magnificent. Notes on a Scandal is whip-smart, sharp and grown up." However, the Houston Chronicle criticized the film as a melodrama, saying, "dramatic overstatement saturates just about every piece of this production". Commercial The film grossed $49,752,391 worldwide, against a budget of $15 million. Soundtrack The original score for the movie was composed by Philip Glass. The film features a song by Toots & The Maytals and another by Siouxsie and the Banshees. Awards and nominations 79th Academy Awards: *Nominated: Best Actress – Judi Dench *Nominated: Best Supporting Actress – Cate Blanchett *Nominated: Best Adapted Screenplay – Patrick Marber *Nominated: Best Original Score – Philip Glass BAFTA Awards *Nominated: Best British Film *Nominated: Best Actress – Judi Dench *Nominated: Best Adapted Screenplay – Patrick Marber British Independent Film Awards *Nominated: Best British Independent Film *'Won': Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film – Judi Dench *Nominated: Best Performance by a Supporting Actor or Actress in a British Independent Film – Cate Blanchett *'Won': Best Screenplay – Patrick Marber Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards *Nominated: Best Actress – Judi Dench *Nominated: Best Picture *Nominated: Best Supporting Actress – Cate Blanchett Chicago Film Critics Association Awards *Nominated: Best Actress – Judi Dench *Nominated: Best Supporting Actress – Cate Blanchett *Nominated: Best Adapted Screenplay – Patrick Marber *Nominated: Best Original Score Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards *'Won': Best Supporting Actress – Cate Blanchett Evening Standard British Film Awards *'Won': Best Actress – Judi Dench Florida Film Critics Circle Awards *'Won': Best Supporting Actress – Cate Blanchett Golden Globe Awards *Nominated: Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama – Judi Dench *Nominated: Best Supporting Actress – Cate Blanchett *Nominated: Best Screenplay – Patrick Marber London Film Critics Circle Awards *Nominated: Actress of the Year – Judi Dench *Nominated: British Actress of the Year – Judi Dench *Nominated: British Supporting Actor of the Year – Bill Nighy Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Awards *'Won': Best Supporting Actress – Cate Blanchett Online Film Critics Awards *Nominated: Best Actress – Judi Dench *Nominated: Best Supporting Actress – Cate Blanchett *Nominated: Best Original Score – Phillip Glass Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards *'Won': Best Supporting Actress – Cate Blanchett Screen Actors Guild Awards *Nominated: Best Actress – Judi Dench *Nominated: Best Supporting Actress – Cate Blanchett Toronto Film Critics Association Awards *'Won': Best Supporting Actress – Cate Blanchett References External links * * * Category:2006 films Category:2000s drama films Category:2000s LGBT-related films Category:2000s psychological thriller films Category:British films Category:British drama films Category:British LGBT-related films Category:British thriller films Category:Films shot at Elstree Studios Category:English-language films Category:Film scores by Philip Glass Category:Films about educators Category:Films based on British novels Category:Films directed by Richard Eyre Category:Films set in London Category:Lesbian-related films Category:LGBT-related drama films Category:Adultery in films Category:Juvenile sexuality in films Category:Films about teacher–student relationships Category:Films produced by Scott Rudin